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Student Highlight: Sang Kim

Sang is a brave man and yogi with a strong practice on and off the mat. He also is an imperfectly perfect human being who has stumbled along the path as we all do. He chooses to turn to a yogic lifestyle which has helped him combat his addictions that was fueled by his search for a dopamine high. Sang was awesome enough to open his heart and share how yoga has uplifted him beyond his compulsive harmful behaviors. He found refuge in yoga and says, “I do so much yoga because it keeps me sober and sane. It keeps me closer to the light. If I weren’t doing yoga I’d probably being doing something less nourishing and more harmful. Yoga slows me down, calms me down, and plugs me into a higher awareness.”

He openly shared with me that he has ADD and he noticed that this fed into his addictive and compulsive tendencies. “Yoga is one of the first things I am passionate about that is relatively benign and healthy. I’ve done other things compulsively that wasn’t so healthy for me and the people around me.” His yogic path led him to become more mindful and with this higher awareness he began to practice Ahimsa (non-harming) of himself and others. Sang has a great yoga practice and you would never guess by his demeanor during class that he was addicted to late night gambling and other destructive habits. By looking a little deeper into himself and being more present he was able see with a vision unclouded. “I looked around and realized this wasn’t good for me. The more yoga I would do I would recognize that me playing poker with these people I was actually harming them as well. I was seeing more deeply of what was going on.” Yoga encourages us be present while addictions bring us back to repeating the past.

Presently, Sang moves through life with more comfort and a deeper connection to himself and others. He used to drag himself to a job he hated, but now he spends his day as a stay at home dad of three lovely children and a husband. He also is finding pleasure in really connecting with people on a deeper level. When talking about our Full Circle Family he lovingly said, “It feels like home I don’t know how else to describe it. The way I feel about practicing with the people at FCY feels a lot like the people I see at my 12 step program. People come from all walks of life and different life experiences. There’s a real kinship in knowing that we all share something that we struggle with and I feel that same energy at FCY. We are all on the same path and journey. There’s a real connection and intentional energy. Step meetings and yoga allows you to be vulnerable and to truly be seen.” Yoga has a way of coaxing us out of our shells and what a gift that is to be allowed to connect to yourself and others on a level beyond these physical bodies.

“Yoga has given me the inspiration and fuel to fight life’s battle. This awareness gives me a few seconds of clarity before I make a decision. It’s a daily struggle, but it allows me to catch myself and remind myself I don’t need to go down that road. These thoughts are just thoughts you don’t have to believe them. You can just let them go.” This peaceful warrior is an amazing example that we can choose our path. We can decide our fate and courageously overcome any obstacle. Although we may sway off the path time to time, our higher selves will always be there to guide us back through the shadows of humanness and into the truth of light and love.